Round-up

The fabled item

And here it is - the item that caused all our woes this evening. I present to you... the metal thing.

The large piece of metal that caused a bomb scare at East Croydon Station

21:08

Picture incoming

We have a picture of the item that caused all the disruption. Stay with us and we’ll share it as soon as we’ve got it into the system. Prepare to be amazed by the innocuous metal pole with the power to destroy people’s evenings.

20:46

Items was piece of metal

A spokeswoman for the BTP has revealed what the suspect item was. She said: “It was a large piece of metal that was left on the platform. It was about one meter long. The issue was that you could not see what was inside the piece of metal, although it wasn’t a box - that’s what cause the concern. We’ll be investigating exactly what it was and how it came to be there.”

20:30

Taxis running again

Taxis are now back at the rank after it was reopened

20:28

All platforms open

Platforms 1 and 2 are also open. There was no real evidence of what the suspect package or item was, according to our reporters at the scene. One member of the public has sent us a picture of what appears to be a sort of tube on the platform but it’s unclear if this was actually the item in question.

The photo below shows officers on platforms 1 and 2 after the other platforms were opened.

20:24

Dog is safe

Don’t panic everyone, Betty the dog is safe! This adorable dog was with her owner Jim Martyn, 67, when the station was evacuated. She was kept warm in a blanket while the police dealt with the situation and she’s now on her way to her home near Brighton (if she can get on a train).

Betty the dog is now on her way home to Brighton after being caught up in the bomb scare

20:22

Food businesses reopen

Burger King, Costa and AMT Coffee are all reopening

20:18

Trains badly delayed

People may be allowed back into the station but the reality is that they are going to be stuck standing on a platform for some time. The departure boards make for grim reading at the moment

A departure board at East Croydon Station

20:11

Crowds file back inside

Commuters are now filing back into the station. This picture shows an armed officer and members of the public inside the station as the drama comes to an end. The disruption, though, is likely to last all evening.

Crowds return to East Croydon Station after a package was deemed "non-suspicious"

20:08

x-ray equipment

The BTP released a statement to us just before the item was declared non-suspicious to explain that specialist officers have x-ray equipment in order to investigate the item without touching it.

The specialist response unit is responsible for checking suspect packages at stations and on railway property and if it was deemed to be potentially hazardous, it would be up to the Met Police or the army to dispose of it.

Met Police officers have been assisting the BTP by clearing people from the station and evacuating the flats near the station. People will be allowed back inside these too, we understand.

20:04

Station to reopen shortly

The BTP has confirmed that the station will reopen shortly

20:01

Platforms reopening

The BTP says platforms 3/4/5/6 can reopen but an officer has been overheard saying they are “clearing up” platforms 1 and 2 so they will remain closed for the time being.

19:58

Uber put prices up

Uber appear to have increased their prices for journeys from East Croydon Station, due to an increased demand, which appears to be as a result of the ongoing incident.

A notice on the Uber app when you try to book a taxi from East Croydon Station

19:54

Station staff remaining calm

This from Thomas Mackintosh, our other reporter at the scene: “Crowds are dying down, station staff are being very helpful in pointing commuters to alternative transport. Trams still running. No taxi rank on Billinton Hill though.”

19:52

Boxpark remains open

Two police officers have been seen leaving the station heading back towards the police vans outside Sainsbury’s although it’s unclear whether the package is still being dealt with.

Boxpark have said they are staying open for now as it gives people somewhere to go. They haven’t been asked to evacuate, although some barriers have gone up outside it.

Barriers being put up outside Boxpark Croydon due to suspect package at East Croydon Station

19:36

Bad news for commuters

Southern say they have “no exact timescale” for getting services up and running again at East Croydon

19:33

Flats reportedly evacuated

There are suggestions that now flats around the station are being evacuated. Our reporter Samantha Booth is going to look into this. She’s at the scene, among the crowds.

She said she is currently at the Boxpark side of the station and that crowds directly outside the station are now thinning out slightly as people seek alternative ways to get home. There are five police officers on that side of the station and a lot of sirens in the area, she added.

Police vehicles parked outside East Croydon Station

19:28

'Nobody was panicking'

The evacuation sounds to have been carried out calmly and without panic. Jim Martyn, 67, said a fire alarm started going off and station staff were telling commuters to leave.

He said: “Everybody was walking okay, nobody was panicking as people didn’t know anything about what was happening.”

19:23

Specialist officers on scene

The BTP’s Specialist Response Unit is looking at the suspect package now as the public are asked for patience.

19:21

Pictures from scene

These pictures show people being evacuated from the station, the crowd outside once the shutters had been pulled down and the empty platforms. It’s unclear which platform the package is on.

People standing outside East Croydon Station after its evacuation

A crowd of people leaving East Croydon Station after the evacuation notice was given

A screen announcing the emergency evacuation

The deserted platforms 5 and 6

19:10

Confirmation of 'bomb scare'

The British Transport Police have confirmed it is a suspect package that they are investigating

19:08

Lots of police

There are lots of police at the station, unsurprisingly. This picture shows vehicles parked near the front of the station. We’ll contact the British Transport Police for confirmation on the nature of the incident

Police vehicles parked outside East Croydon Station

19:02

What we know so far

Southern’s press office have said they cannot confirm or deny that there is a suspect package but have said the British Transport Police are investigating “an incident” at the station.

A large number of people have reported that they are being evacuated from the station with many asking Southern via Twitter for more information.

We have two reporters on their way to the station so we can bring you more info.